Questions abound for local MIAA baseball teams

The questions coming into this year’s MIAA North Sectional baseball tournament are many.Among them: Can anyone beat St. John’s Prep in Division 1? The Eagles dropped their season’s opener to Xaverian and then buzzed through the remainder of their schedule to finish at 19-1. They own one of the top players in the area in pitcher/shortstop Brandon Bingel. And they took on all comers in a tough non-league schedule.The Eagles are the top seed in Division 1 and, as such, receive a bye. They won’t be in action until the weekend (date and time TBA), but when they are, they’ll be at home to face either Lexington or Malden, who play Thursday in a preliminary round game.The only other area team in Division 1 is Peabody, which is seeded fourth at 18-4. One of the Tanners’ losses came against The Prep in their season’s opener. Peabody boasts one of the area’s best pitchers in Pat Ruotolo, but there’s more to the Tanners than just him. Peabody developed an ability this season to play different styles of ball. The Tanners will open their quest for a state title Saturday (4) against the winner of the Lowell/Lincoln-Sudbury game. Should both teams win through the quarterfinals, Peabody and The Prep would meet.In Division 2, Danvers drew the second seed, and the Falcons will play Friday (6:30) at home against Tewksbury.Also, Beverly (15-5) drew the sixth seed and will face No. 11 Belmont. The Panthers, who lost in the sectional final a year ago, are on a collision course to play neighboring Danvers in the regional semifinal.Gloucester (12-8) drew the ninth seed and will travel to Arlington Thursday (4).Five area teams will vie for the title in Division 3: St. Mary’s, Saugus, Bishop Fenwick, Lynnfield and Swampscott.The highest seed among them is Fenwick at No. 2. The Crusaders finished the season at 16-4 and boast a strong lineup up and down. After sitting out the week with a bye, the Crusaders will be back in action Sunday (4) against the winner of Shawsheen and Bedford.”We don’t worry about who we’re going to play,” said Fenwick coach Kevin Canty. “We can’t worry about who we’re going to play. Every team is good. No matter who we end up getting, we’ll be ready to go.”The Crusaders own wins against Danvers and Peabody.”But,” Canty said, “we’re not the type of team that can just show up and win. We have to execute.”Coming in at No. 6 is St. Mary’s (14-6), which will play Thursday (4) against No. 11 Greater Lowell.”We played them in their season’s opener, and it’ll be a different team,” said St. Mary’s coach Derek Dana. “This is tournament time. You have to be ready to go.”Last year, the Spartans lost to Lynnfield, 3-1, in the quarterfinals. St. Mary’s won the Clancy Tournament this week (beating No. 1 North Reading), and “I’m sure the kids feel confident because of that, but it’s a brand new season,” Dana said. “Everybody’s got the same record now.”The Pioneers are seeded 10th with a 12-8 record. They will play Stoneham Thursday (4) and would face Fenwick in the quarterfinals if both teams win. They came from behind to beat the Crusaders last year in the sectional semifinal.Swampscott, at 9-11 and seeded 17th, will play Thursday (4) against Watertown.”We have the same record,” said Swampscott coach Jason Calichman. “And they’re from the Middlesex League, which is always good. I don’t think much changes at this point. You play your game, throw strikes, be aggressive at the plate, and you’re OK.”The Big Blue will throw ace Trevor Massey.”It’s a one-game season now,” Calichman said. “He’s pretty imposing out there.”Saugus, 11-9, is in at No. 12 and will travel to Whittier Saturday (4). Like Swampscott, the Sachems got off to a bad start (1-4) before turning it around. They defeated Fenwick in their final game.Dom DiPesa and Kory Dominick form a solid 1-2 combination on the mound, and Nick Enos and Dante DelTorto have stood out for the Sachems as well.Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].